DOT crews prepare for winter weather

If you ask Bill Chesire, there's not much you can do as a driver when mother nature hits the Carolinas.

"I don't think you could ever get prepared for it. People just flood the streets trying to get groceries and try to get back home,” explained Chesire. “So I don't think you could ever get prepared for it."

There's plenty SCDOT crews can do to prepare drivers for those roadways, though, as a mix of snow and rain heads towards the Upstate and western North Carolina. Tony Thompson is the SCDOT district maintenance engineer.

"Today we pre-treated roads on Interstate 85 and North towards the mountains,” said Thompson. “We've prepared our equipment and materials."

According to Thompson, none of the precautionary steps will be effective if drivers don't take the conditions seriously.

"There is a potential for slippery conditions tomorrow, especially on bridges and overpasses,” said Thompson.

The NCDOT stays in contact with the National Weather Service to help with their plan of action when there's a possibility of weather event. According to David Uchiyama, crews have been preparing for this first winter weather mix of snow and rain since last summer.

"That's when we refilled our salt bins. That's when we started testing our brine solutions,” said Uchiyama. “So we've been preparing for this event for a long time."

NCDOT crews will work twelve hour shifts until the event is over. Uchiyama urges drivers to pack their patience and slow down on the roads...or you can do what Chesire plans to do when mother nature hits.